CN110828216A - Keyboard with mute function and key structure thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a keyboard with a mute function and a key structure thereof. The key structure comprises a key cap, a buffer layer, a balance component and a bearing plate. The key cap is provided with a bottom surface and a flange, and the flange is formed around the bottom surface. The buffer layer is arranged on the bottom surface and the flange and is provided with a plane part, a convex part and a plurality of combining parts extending out of the bottom surface. The balance component is arranged below the keycap and forms pivoting combination with the combination parts. The bearing plate is arranged below the keycap and is provided with a key seat, a bearing surface and a plurality of grooves, and the grooves correspond to the combining parts. When the keycap moves towards the bearing plate, the buffer layer respectively collides with the key seat, the bearing surface or the grooves on the plane part, the convex part or the combining parts to cause deformation.

Description

Keyboard with mute function and its key structure

technical field

The present invention relates to a keyboard with mute function and its key structure, in particular to a keyboard and its key structure using a buffer layer of elastic material as a contact buffer to achieve mute and shock absorption.

Background technique

Modern people often use computers in their daily lives, and whether it is a desktop computer (or a personal computer (PC)) or a notebook computer, a keyboard plays an important role in providing users with character input or operation control. Generally speaking, a keyboard is composed of many keys, and each key is arranged in a specific position. In addition, many electronic devices or motor operating devices are also provided with related buttons, which are used as operating interfaces for various designated functions.

In order to provide user input and control, the characteristics of such keys are that they can be restored to their original positions after a one-time keycap pressing, and at the same time, a trigger signal can be generated in response to the pressing. In this way, in addition to allowing the user to press the same button next time, the user's successful touch feeling can be increased through the compression and rebound mechanism of the button.

According to the current technology, the design of different types of buttons is classified by their internal switch (Switch) type, which can be roughly divided into mechanical (Mechanical), membrane (Membrane), conductive rubber (Conductive Rubber) and contactless. Capacitive, etc. Different types of buttons have different lifespans, touch feel, or manufacturing costs.

In addition, the design of setting a scissor foot structure under the keycap can average the direction of force when the user presses, and at the same time use the rebound function generated by an elastic element (such as a spring or a rubber dome) to match the scissors The design of the foot structure allows the buttons to be operated repeatedly. If the scissor foot structure is not provided and only the rebound of the elastic element is used, it is easy to cause uneven application of force, which is not conducive to the formation of keys with large keycap area on the keyboard, such as the space key (Space), the input key (Enter), Multiple keys such as shift key (Shift), case conversion key (Caps Lock), etc.

On the other hand, a balance bar can also be used to match the scissor foot structure for longer or larger keys. The balance bar is an elongated shaft, which is correspondingly arranged below the keycap and around the scissor foot structure, and can drive the keycap to move down evenly as a whole in response to the pressing from above to avoid the situation where one side is high and one side is low.

Please refer to FIGS. 1A and 1B , which are schematic cross-sectional views of a conventional key structure 10 , wherein FIG. 1A shows the key structure 10 is not pressed, and FIG. 1B shows the key structure 10 is pressed. The key structure 10 is provided with a balance rod 13 which is pivotally combined with a hook 15 under a key cap 11 . A support plate 12 of the key structure 10 is provided with a groove 14 corresponding to the hook 15 for accommodating the hook 15 when the keycap 11 moves downward. In addition, a pressing post 17 below the keycap 11 is a key base 16 corresponding to the support plate 12 . An elastic element and a key switch (not shown in the drawings) are arranged in the key base 16 . When the cap 11 moves down, the key switch is triggered, and the elastic element produces a rebound.

However, since the above-mentioned related structures are mostly made of relatively hard materials, the keyboards with these structures cannot avoid the impact between the structures to generate noise or sound when the keycaps are pressed for operation or input; For example, contact, resistance or collision between a bottom surface 110 of the keycap 11 and the key base 16 , between the hook 15 and the groove 14 , between a flange 111 of the keycap 11 and the support plate 12 in FIG. 1B . If the keyboard device is used in a quiet environment, such as a library or an office, the noise generated will affect other people, causing trouble and inconvenience to themselves and others. In addition, the collision between the structures is also prone to wear and tear, so that the operation function of the button cannot function properly.

Therefore, how to solve this prior art problem is the main purpose of the development of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a keyboard with mute function and its key structure. The keyboard and its key structure are characterized in that a buffer layer of elastic material is used as a contact buffer, that is, it can be deformed in response to pressing, so as to achieve the use requirements of muteness and shock absorption.

In one aspect of the present invention, a key structure is provided, which is disposed on a keyboard. The key structure includes a key cap, a buffer layer, a balance component and a support plate. The key cap is used to provide pressing, and the key cap has a bottom surface and a flange, and the flange is formed around the bottom surface. The buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange, and the buffer layer has a flat part, a protruding part and a plurality of joint parts protruding from the bottom surface. The balance assembly is disposed below the keycap and forms a pivotal connection with the joint portions. The support plate is disposed under the key cap, and the support plate has a key seat, a bearing surface and a plurality of grooves, and the grooves correspond to the joint portions. When the keycap moves to the support plate, the buffer layer collides with the key seat, the bearing surface or the grooves on the flat portion, the protruding portion or the joint portions respectively, thereby causing deformation.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a keyboard with mute function, which has a plurality of key structures, wherein each key structure includes a key cap, a buffer layer, a balance component and a support plate. The key cap is used to provide pressing, and the key cap has a bottom surface and a flange, and the flange is formed around the bottom surface. The buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange, and the buffer layer has a flat part, a protruding part and a plurality of joint parts protruding from the bottom surface. The balance assembly is disposed below the keycap and forms a pivotal connection with the joint portions. The support plate is disposed under the key cap, and the support plate has a key seat, a bearing surface and a plurality of grooves, and the grooves correspond to the joint portions. When the keycap moves to the support plate, the buffer layer collides with the key seat, the bearing surface or the grooves on the flat portion, the protruding portion or the joint portions respectively, thereby causing deformation.

In order to have a better understanding of the above and other aspects of the present invention, the following embodiments are given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the conventional key structure 10 in an unpressed state.

FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the conventional key structure 10 in a pressed state.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the combination of the keyboard 2 proposed by the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the key structure 20 proposed by the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure 20 proposed by the present invention in an unpressed state.

FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure 20 proposed by the present invention in a pressed state.

Description of reference numerals

10, 20: Key structure 11, 21: Key cap

110, 210: Bottom 111, 211: Flange

12, 22: Bearing plate 13: Balance bar

14, 24: groove 15: hook

16, 26: Key base 17, 27: Press post

2: Keyboard 2a: Housing

220: Loading Surface 23: Balance Assembly

25: Buffer layer 251: Flat part

252: Projection 253: Joint

Detailed ways

The following is a detailed description of the embodiments. The embodiments are only used as examples to illustrate, and do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. In addition, the drawings in the embodiments omit unnecessary elements or elements that can be completed with ordinary techniques, so as to clearly show the technical characteristics of the present invention.

An embodiment is now used to describe the implementation of the keyboard with mute function and its key structure provided by the present invention. Please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B at the same time, wherein FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a combination of a keyboard 2 with mute function of the present invention; FIG. 2B is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a key structure 20 of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2A , the keyboard 2 has a plurality of key structures 20 , and each key structure 20 can be arranged at a designated position according to characters or functions.

The keyboard 2 in this embodiment is described as a peripheral device matched with an independent keyboard of a desktop computer (or called a personal computer (PC)), but the present invention is not limited thereto. That is to say, the concept of the keyboard with mute function and its key structure proposed in the present invention can also be applied to the keyboard and its key structure on a notebook computer.

As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , the keyboard 2 further has a casing 2 a, and each key structure 20 has a supporting plate 22 , and the combination of the supporting plates 22 constitutes the casing 2 a , that is, each supporting plate 22 is part of the housing 2a. Each key structure 20 is assembled at a designated position in the casing 2a, and each key structure 20 has a key cap 21, which is exposed to provide pressing. It should be noted that the size and shape of each key structure 20 can be made into corresponding designs according to requirements, that is, the key structure 20 in FIG. A key of the size; for example, a key that is a multiple of the space key.

In addition, depending on the arrangement position of different keys, or even depending on the applied independent keyboard or keyboard module, the surrounding of the keycap 21 may not necessarily be surrounded by the support plate 22 as shown in FIG. 2B . However, relatively speaking, each support plate 22 is disposed below each keycap 21 , and the arrangement of the support plate 22 of the key structure 20 in FIG. 2B is only a schematic illustration of an embodiment thereof.

Please refer to FIGS. 3A and 3B at the same time, which are schematic cross-sectional views of the key structure 20 , wherein FIG. 3A shows the state that the key structure 20 is not pressed, and FIG. 3B shows the state that the key structure 20 is pressed. As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B , the keycap 21 has a bottom surface 210 and a flange 211 , wherein the flange 211 is formed around the bottom surface 210 . Secondly, the key structure 20 also has a buffer layer 25 and a balance element 23 , wherein the buffer layer 25 is disposed on the bottom surface 210 and the flange 211 , and the balance element 23 is disposed under the key cap 21 .

Specifically, the buffer layer 25 has a flat portion 251 , a protruding portion 252 and a plurality of bonding portions 253 extending from the bottom surface 210 . The distribution of the flat portion 251 corresponds to the distribution of the bottom surface 210 . The distribution of the parts 252 corresponds to the distribution of the flanges 211 , and the balance element 23 forms a pivotal connection with the joint parts 253 . In FIGS. 3A and 3B , only one half of the cross-section of the key structure 20 is shown, so only one of the joint portions 253 is used for illustration. It can be understood that the joint portions 253 are symmetrically designed, so the cross-section of the other half also has the same structure.

On the other hand, the balance component 23 of the present invention can be a scissors leg structure or a balance rod, or a combination of a scissor leg structure and a balance rod. 3A and 3B only illustrate one of the balancing components (and only illustrates a part of the cross bar that is combined), that is, the combined parts 253 can be applied to the pivotal combination of the scissor foot structure, or It is a pivotal connection to the balance bar. It can be understood that the general keys are often provided with scissor foot structures to average the force applied by the user when pressing. If the size of the key is large, such as a multiple key of a blank key, a balance bar can be arranged under the key cap and around the scissor foot structure. At the same time, the number of joints increases accordingly.

Secondly, the key structure 20 also has a pressing column 27 , an elastic element (not shown in the figure) and a key switch (not shown in the figure), and the support plate 22 has a key seat 26 and a bearing surface 220 with a plurality of grooves 24. Specifically, the pressing post 27 is disposed below the bottom surface 210 and corresponds to the key base 26 , the elastic element is disposed below the pressing post 27 , and the elastic element can form a compressive deformation in response to a force, and due to The force should be released to form a restoring force to release the deformation. Therefore, the pressing post 27 can move back and forth relative to the key base 26 between an original position (eg, FIG. 3A ) and a pressing position (eg, FIG. 3B ), and the grooves 24 can accommodate the downwardly moved some joints 253.

Based on the above, the elastic element of the present invention can be a spring, a shrapnel or a rubber dot as the rebound mechanism of the button. In other words, the key structure 20 of the present invention can be applied to various types of keys or keyboards such as general mechanical or membrane type. In addition, the key switch is disposed below the pressing column 27 , and can generate a signal in response to the pressing and triggering of the pressing column 27 . In one embodiment, the elastic element and the key switch are disposed in the key base 26 . However, depending on the type of key or keyboard, the design of the underlying circuit or key switch is also different. However, this is a general prior art, so it will not be described in detail.

One of the features of the present invention is that in the key structure 20 , especially under the key cap 21 (ie, the bottom surface 210 ), the buffer layer 25 with elastic properties is used to achieve the functions and purposes of muteness and shock absorption. As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B , in relative positions, the grooves 24 correspond to the coupling portions 253 , the key base 26 corresponds to the flat portion 251 , and the bearing surface 220 corresponds to the The protruding portion 252 , that is, the buffer layer 25 is interposed between the keycap 21 and the support plate 22 , and moves up and down with the keycap 21 .

In detail, when the keycap 21 is moved to the support plate 22, that is, from an original position (eg, FIG. 3A ) to a pressing position (eg, FIG. 3B ), under the design of the relevant components with a specific size, the The buffer layer 25 can collide on the flat portion 251 , the protruding portion 252 or the coupling portions 253 respectively to cause deformation of the key base 26 , the bearing surface 220 or the grooves 24 . In this way, by using the buffer layer 25 as a contact buffer between various elements or structures, the deformation generated by the buffer layer 25 can effectively weaken the impact force and reduce the noise or sound caused by it.

The buffer layer 25 of the present invention can be made of elastic materials such as rubber, silicone, polyester or resin, or related materials such as TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) in general. One of its features is that such materials can be formed into a desired pattern by injection molding, and can be adjusted to a suitable hardness according to requirements. It can be understood that, in order to make the buffer layer 25 have appropriate elasticity to achieve the function and purpose of mute and shock absorption, the buffer layer 25 must be designed to be relatively soft. In addition, such materials are also resistant to wear, durability, deformation resistance (non-recovery) and other properties.

It should be noted that, although the protruding portion 252 in FIG. 3B does not obviously collide with the bearing surface 220 , the degree of deformation caused by the collision of the coupling portions 253 with the grooves 24 and the pressing force should be considered. The keycap 21 may still be slightly biased, and it can be seen that the protruding portion 252 may still collide with the bearing surface 220 . The dimensions of the relevant elements shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B are only one specific design, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It can be understood that the dimensions of the relevant components and the possible deformation degree of each part of the buffer layer 25 should be designed so as not to hinder the pressing and triggering of the key switch.

In addition, the keycap 21 and the buffer layer 25 can be made of the same material, such as rubber, and have two hardness materials respectively. Therefore, the keycap 21 can be formed by injecting a harder material in the mold first, and after the keycap 21 is fabricated, a softer material can be injected in the same mold to form the buffer layer 25 . In this way, the whole of the keycap 21 and the buffer layer 25 can be directly formed, that is, the flat portion 251 is formed on the bottom surface 210 , the protruding portion 252 is formed on the flange 211 , and the flat portion 251 is formed on the flange 211 therebetween. some joints 253.

Of course, the concept of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the keycap 21 and the buffer layer 25 can be designed to be made of different materials, but relatively speaking, the hardness of the buffer layer 25 must still be designed to be smaller than the hardness of the keycap 21 . Secondly, the keycap 21 and the buffer layer 25 can be separately manufactured by using different molds by means of injection molding. Afterwards, the buffer layer 25 can be disposed on the bottom surface 210 and the flange 211 of the keycap 21 by using an adhesive method.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned pressing post 27 can be integrally formed with the key cap 21 , that is, the pressing post 27 and the key cap 21 are made of the same material, and can be formed simultaneously in the same injection process using the same mold. 3A and FIG. 3B also show that the buffer layer 25 is not distributed on the pressing column 27, so it can be understood that the flat portion 251 distributed on the entire bottom surface 210 will form a hole in the center to The pressing post 27 passes through to contact the elastic element. Alternatively, in another embodiment, the pressing post and the key cap are separately provided, that is, the pressing post can be firstly arranged on the corresponding elastic element and then resist the bottom surface of the key cap through its elasticity.

Furthermore, with current technology, the use of thermoplastic materials for mold injection produces components that are relatively thick, at least on the order of 0.6 millimeters (mm). Therefore, the buffer layer produced in this way and the key structure formed by it may be less suitable for general thin keyboards. In view of this, the present invention further designs to form and arrange the buffer layer in other ways.

Based on the above, in one embodiment, a material such as silica gel may be used to form the buffer layer, and the buffer layer may be disposed on the bottom surface and the flange by means of thermocompression coating. In detail, in the process, a harder material can be injected into the mold to form the keycap, and the silicone material can be hot-pressed in a hot-pressing machine with a corresponding mold to form the desired flat portion and protruding portion. It is welded with the joint part and the keycap at the same time to complete the setting of the buffer layer. The buffer layer of silica gel may have a relatively thin thickness, for example, the flat portion is about 0.3 millimeters (mm).

If the buffer layer formed by hot pressing is still too thick, in another embodiment, a material such as rubber can also be used to form the buffer layer, and the buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange by spraying. In detail, in the process, a harder material can also be injected into the mold to form the keycap, while the rubber material is prepared in a liquid state and sprayed on the bottom surface and flange of the keycap to form the desired plane. part and protruding part. Since the joint part is relatively long, it can be formed by a mold and then bonded with the flat part and the protruding part to complete the setting of the buffer layer. The buffer layer sprayed with rubber paint can have a thinner thickness, for example, the flat portion is about 0.1-0.2 millimeters (mm).

To sum up, the keyboard with mute function and its key structure proposed by the present invention effectively utilize the characteristics of the elastic material of the buffer layer, that is, it can act as a contact buffer in response to the deformation generated during pressing, thereby achieving mute, The function and purpose of shock absorption. In addition, the elastic material of the buffer layer also has the characteristics of anti-wear, durability, and anti-deformation, so that the related components provided are not easily damaged due to collision. Therefore, the present invention can effectively solve the related problems raised in the prior art, and can successfully achieve the main purpose of the development of the present invention.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above by way of examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be regarded as the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims (13)

1. A key structure, arranged on a keyboard, the key structure comprising: a keycap for providing pressing, the keycap has a bottom surface and a flange, the flange is formed around the bottom surface; a buffer layer disposed on the bottom surface and the flange, the buffer layer has a flat part, a protruding part and a plurality of joint parts extending from the bottom surface; a balance assembly, disposed below the keycap and pivotally combined with a plurality of the joints; and a support plate, disposed under the keycap, the support plate has a key seat, a bearing surface and a plurality of grooves, and the plurality of the grooves correspond to the plurality of the joint parts; Wherein, when the key cap moves to the support plate, the buffer layer on the flat part, the protruding part or the plurality of the joint parts, respectively, is opposite to the key seat, the carrying surface or the plurality of joint parts. Each of the grooves collides and deforms. 2 . The key structure of claim 1 , wherein the distribution of the flat portions corresponds to the distribution of the bottom surface, and the distribution of the protruding portions corresponds to the distribution of the flanges. 3 . 3. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the key structure further comprises: a pressing column, disposed below the bottom surface and corresponding to the key base; an elastic element disposed below the pressing column for forming a compression deformation in response to an applied force, and forming a restoring force to relieve the deformation in response to the release of the applied force; and A key switch, disposed under the pressing column, is used to generate a signal in response to the pressing and triggering of the pressing column; wherein the pressing column can move back and forth between an original position and a pressing position relative to the key base move. 4. The key structure according to claim 3, wherein the elastic element is a spring, an elastic piece or a rubber dot. 5 . The key structure according to claim 3 , wherein the pressing column and the key cap are integrally formed, or the pressing column is disposed on the elastic element and then resists the bottom surface of the key cap. 6 . . 6. The key structure of claim 3, wherein the elastic element and the key switch are disposed in the key base. 7 . The button structure of claim 1 , wherein the balance component is a scissor leg structure or a balance bar, or a combination of a scissor leg structure and a balance bar. 8 . 8. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the buffer layer is made of elastic material of rubber, silicone, polyester or resin. 9 . The key structure of claim 1 , wherein the key cap and the buffer layer are made of the same material or different materials, and the hardness of the buffer layer is smaller than that of the key cap, and is made by injection molding. 10 . to make. 10 . The key structure of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange in an adhesive manner. 11 . 11 . The key structure of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange by means of thermocompression coating. 12 . 12 . The key structure of claim 1 , wherein the buffer layer is disposed on the bottom surface and the flange by spraying. 13 . 13. A keyboard with mute function, having a plurality of key structures, wherein each of the key structures comprises: a keycap for providing pressing, the keycap has a bottom surface and a flange, the flange is formed around the bottom surface; a buffer layer disposed on the bottom surface and the flange, the buffer layer has a flat part, a protruding part and a plurality of joint parts extending from the bottom surface; a balance assembly, disposed below the keycap and pivotally combined with a plurality of the joints; and a support plate, disposed under the keycap, the support plate has a key seat, a bearing surface and a plurality of grooves, and the plurality of the grooves correspond to the plurality of the joint parts; Wherein, when the key cap moves to the support plate, the buffer layer on the flat part, the protruding part or the plurality of the joint parts, respectively, is opposite to the key seat, the carrying surface or the plurality of joint parts. Each of the grooves collides and deforms.

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